U.S. patent number 6,493,969 [Application Number 09/754,362] was granted by the patent office on 2002-12-17 for desktop information carrier.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Drukkerij Stockmans, naamloze vennootschap. Invention is credited to Birgitte Devos.
United States Patent |
6,493,969 |
Devos |
December 17, 2002 |
Desktop information carrier
Abstract
The invention relates to a desktop information carrier which
comprises a support (1) of foldable material with a bottom part (3)
and two walls adjoining thereto and converging towards the top,
namely, a front wall (4) and a rear wall (5), and comprises a
number of pages (2). One of the walls (4) has a lip (4A) at its
upper extremity, and the pages (2) are exclusively attached to the
upper extremity of the other wall (5), and in such a manner that,
in between two locations, over a distance larger than the largest
width of the lip (4A), they are loose from this wall (5). In usage
condition, the aforementioned lip (4A) protrudes between said wall
(5) and at least one page (2) which then is situated on the wall
(4) with the lip (4A).
Inventors: |
Devos; Birgitte (Berchem,
BE) |
Assignee: |
Drukkerij Stockmans, naamloze
vennootschap (Merksem, BE)
|
Family
ID: |
25663173 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/754,362 |
Filed: |
January 5, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
40/120; 248/459;
281/33; 283/2; 40/119; 40/530 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B42D
5/043 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B42D
5/00 (20060101); B42D 5/04 (20060101); G09D
003/04 () |
Field of
Search: |
;40/119,120,530 ;283/2
;248/459 ;281/33 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Davis; Cassandra H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Bacon & Thomas, PLLC
Claims
I claim:
1. A desktop information carrier that includes a plurality of pages
and a unitary support of a foldable material, said support
including a bottom portion and first and second wall portions each
adjoining said bottom portion; said first and second wall portions
having bottom edges hinged along said bottom portion to permit
convergence of top edges of said first and second wall portions
towards one another; said first wall portion having a lip extending
from said top edge thereof; said plurality of pages hingedly
affixed to said second wall portion along the top edge thereof,
only said second wall portion of said support having a series of
apertures cooperating with corresponding apertures defined along
the top edge of said plurality of pages to thereby permit coupling
of said support with said plurality of pages; wherein said first
and second wall portions are configured such that said lip
protrudes between said plurality of pages and said second wall
portion, said plurality of pages resting against said first wall
portion and at least one page of said plurality of pages arranged
to be positioned to rest against the lip.
2. The desktop information carrier of claim 1 wherein the foldable
material is cardboard.
3. The desktop information carrier of claim 1 wherein wire is
inserted through and operable within each of said apertures of said
second wall portion and said plurality of pages so as to couple
said second wall with said plurality of pages.
4. The desktop information carrier of claim 3 wherein said
apertures of said second wall portion and said plurality of pages
are divided into two sections disposed respectively in opposite end
regions along the top edges thereof.
5. The desktop information carrier of claim 1 wherein the second
wall portion is a rear wall and the first wall portion is a front
wail.
6. The desktop information carrier of claim 1 wherein a first
groove is disposed between the bottom edge of the first wall
portion and the bottom portion, and a second grooves disposed
between the bottom edge of the second wall portion and the bottom
portion.
7. The desktop information carrier of claim 6 wherein the bottom
portion includes a middle groove longitudinally and centrally
located thereon.
8. The desktop information carrier of claim 1 wherein at least one
of the plurality of pages is a calendar page.
9. The desktop information carrier of claim 1 wherein the lip is
centrally located along the top edge of the first wall portion.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a desktop information carrier which
comprises a unitary support of foldable material, mostly of
cardboard, having a bottom part and two wall portions adjoining
thereto, namely, a front wall and a rear wall, and which comprises
a number of pages attached to at least one of the walls, whereby,
in usage condition, the front wall and the rear wall are converging
from the bottom part on.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Such desktop information carriers are, for example, desk calendars,
thus, calendars which, contrary to the calendars suspended on a
wall, are placed or a table,a desk or similar.
Known desk calendars consist of a folded rectangular piece of
cardboard, the free extremities of which are fixed to each other
over their entire length by means of spiral wire or wire bent to
rings which is provided through openings in the extremities. By
means of these rings or this wire, the calendar pages, too, are
attached.
As a result of the fact that, after folding, the extremities of the
piece of cardboard and the paces have to be attached to each other
simultaneously, the manufacturing of these known desk calendars is
rather complicated.
The extremities of the piece of cardboard are fixedly attached to
each other, and afterwards it is no longer possible for the user to
enfold the calendar without damaging it.
Furthermore, the extremities of the piece of cardboard which are
fixed to each other, have to be straight, such that a special
design of the desk calendars practically is excluded. In the known
desk calendars, the walls, which the calendar pages are situated,
are rectangular.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has an object a desktop information carrier
which does not show the aforementioned disadvantages and is of a
simple construction, offers a high design variability and can be
unfolded again.
According to the invention, this aim is achieved in that one of the
walls, at its upper extremity, shows at least one lip and in that
the pages are fixed exclusively to the upper extremity of the other
wall, and in such a manner that they are attached to this upper
extremity only locally and that, in between two locations, over a
distance larger than the largest width of the lip, they are loose
from this wall, whereby, in usage condition, the aforementioned
lip, there where the pages are loose from the last-mentioned wall,
protrudes between this wall and at least one page which then is
situated on the wall with the lip.
Thus, the two walls are not fixed to each other, as a result of
which manufacturing is easy and, by pulling the lip from one wall
away from in between the pages and the other wall, the desktop
information carrier at any time can be unfolded to a flat unit
which Wakes little space for storing or transport.
The lip can be given different shapes. As the lip, in mounted
condition of the desktop information carrier, protrudes at the top,
this shape, of course, will catch the eye.
The pages can be attached to the one wall by means of bent
wire.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
With the intention of better showing the characteristics of the
invention, hereafter, as an example without any limitative
character, a preferred form of embodiment of a desktop information
carrier according to the invention described, with reference to the
accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 represents a view in perspective of a desktop information
carrier, more particular a desk calendar according to the
invention, in usage condition;
FIG. 2 represents a lateral view of the table calendar from FIG.
1;
FIG. 3 represents a cross-section according to line III--III in.
FIG. 1, drawn at a larger scale;
FIG. 4 represents a view of the desk calendar from the preceding
figures, however, in unfolded condition.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The desk calendar represented in FIGS. 1 and 2 consists of a
support 1, formed by a unitary piece of cardboard, and of a number
of calendar pages 2, for example, one for every month, an extra
front page and possibly a rear page.
This calendar is in usage condition, which means that the piece of
cardboard of the support 1 is folded such that it shows a
rectangular bottom part 3 and two wall portions adjoining thereto
and standing inclined thereupon namely, a front wall 4 and a rear
wall 5 converging towards the top, whereby the front wall 4, at its
free extremity, has an upward-protruding lip 4A in the center.
The calendar pages 2 are fixed to the other extremity of the piece
of cardboard and, therefore, at the free extremity or upper
extremity of the rear wall 5.
It is important that the calendar pages 2 are not fixed over the
entire length of the upper extremity of the rear wall a, but
exclusively over a small distance starting from the two extremities
of the upper edge, this is from the lateral edges of the rear wall
5. In between, and therefore over a large part which is
symmetrically in respect to the middle, the calendar pages 2 are
loose from the rear wall
The distance over which the calendar pages 2 are loose from the
rear wall 5, is larger or equal to the largest width of the lip 4A,
measured parallel to the bottom part 3, and this lip 4A, in fact,
protrudes upward between said rear wall 5 and at least a rubber of
the calendar pages 2.
Thus, the last-mentioned calendar pages 2 are situated on the Front
side of the front wall. The portions of the upper edge of the front
wall 4 which are situated next to the lip 4A are held by the
connections 6 between these calendar pages 2 and the rear wall
5.
In the represented example, two such connections 6 are present,
respectively one between the lip 4A and each of the lateral edges
of the rear wail 5.
These connections 6 consist of a wire folded in such a manner that
it forms springy rings 7 which can be pulled open. Each of these
rings 7 protrudes through an opening 6 in the rear wall 5 and
opposite openings 9 in each of the calendar pages 2, as, above all,
is clearly visible in FIG. 4 in which the desk calendar is
represented in unfolded condition.
As is also visible in said FIG. 4, in consideration of folding, the
piece of cardboard of which the support 1 is made, is provided with
grooves 10, for example, by indentations, perforations or other
weakened portions.
Said piece of cardboard is punched out in the desired shape,
whereby the lip 4A can take different forms, the grooves 10 are
provided and, alongside the edge which is opposed to the edge
provided with the lip 4A, the openings 8 are provided.
Before, in between or after said processing steps, the piece of
cardboard is printed.
The calendar pages 2 are cut to size and printed and provided with
openings 9. Package per package, by means of connections 6, they
are connected to the afore-mentioned piece of cardboard, which
takes place before the piece of cardboard is folded and which,
therefore, is rather simple.
Subsequently, the desk calendar can be shipped or commercialized in
not yet folded condition. The user only has to fold the piece of
cardboard according to the grooves 10 and put the lip 4A between
the rear wall 5 and the package of calendar pages 2, while letting
this package drop around the connections 6 onto the front side of
the front wall 4.
Possibly, the piece of cardboard can already be folded according to
one of the grooves 10 in order to form a more compact unit.
Indeed, it is possible to ship or to commercialize the desk
calendar in folded condition. To this aim, the bottom part 3
temporarily has to be folded, such that an additional groove has to
be provided in the center of this bottom part 3 and in the
longitudinal direction thereof. In usage condition, the bottom part
3 can be flat or still a little bit folded.
If a calendar page 2 is no longer necessary, it can be torn off
from the connections 6, whereby the openings in this calendar page
2 can form the tear-off line. Possibly, a separate tear-off line
can be present.
Instead of tearing off the calendar page 2, it can also be turned
around connections 6 towards the rear against the rear wall 5,
whereby the lip 4A has to be drawn downward temporarily.
The calendar pages 2 do not necessarily have to connected to the
rear wall 5 in the above-described manner. For example, the
calendar pages 2 may be glued to the rear wall 5, more particularly
to that side thereof which, after the calendar has been formed, is
directed towards the front
The afore-mentioned lip 4A can be given different shapes which, for
example, are adapted to the print on the support and/or the
calendar pages. As this lip 4A protrudes at the top, this shape is
very eye-catching such that this lip 4A is particularly suitable
for carrying advertisements.
The front wall 4 is not fixedly attached to he rear wall 5, such
that, by pulling the lip 4A off, the front wall 4 and the rear wall
5 can be unfastened from each other again.
In fact, the calendar pages 2 hold the front wall 4 against the
rear wall 5. In order to avoid that, at the end of the year, when
most of the calendar pages 2 are no longer situated on the from
wall 4, the support 1 becomes less stable, a stable extra calendar
page 2, for example, made of cardboard, can be fixed on the support
1 as a lowermost calendar page 2.
The information printed on the pages does not necessarily always
have to be related to the date. Some, or, in certain forms of
embodiments, even all pages car carry other information, such as,
for example, advertisements, tables of charges, timetables or
similar. The desktop information carrier therefore does not
necessarily have to be a desk calendar, and the paces not
necessarily calendar pages.
The invention is in no way limited to the form of embodiment
described heretofore, on the contrary may such desktop information
carrier be realized in different variants without leaving the scope
of the invention.
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